Reborn as an Immortal in a Martial World

Chapter 4: The Mystery of the Womb

The autumn wind was cold, and the tree-lined path had grown bare. Students streamed toward Silvermere Lake, this year's graduates, all about to begin new journeys. Some would stay in the mortal lands, and others would travel to Celestara.

But in a restroom nearby, Aiden was being beaten black and blue by Caleb. He had always been timid, and now he had neither the courage nor the strength to fight back.

Caleb Ward came from a powerful, well-connected family. After graduation he would be sent to Celestara to train in the martial arts. Warriors were plentiful in the mortal lands, but their skill was generally low. The people of Celestara even called this world the Wasteland, because so many here still clung to the old breathing methods. They insisted that the breath cultivators of the Age Before the Crowns had reached greatness through daily practice.

"Tell me," Caleb sneered, rolling his neck and glaring at Aiden crumpled at his feet, his anger still simmering, "how does a spineless worm like you end up with Lucy Hartwell?"

He paused, then smirked. "I hear she's heading to Celestara. A few favors, and I can get us into the same martial class. She won't be able to run from me. Hehe."

Aiden froze. A bright, laughing face flashed before his eyes. Then, from somewhere deep inside, strength surged through him.

"Don't you dare touch her!"

Caleb arched a brow, half smiling. "And if I do? Who knows what could happen once we're on Celestara? I've been eyeing those long legs of hers for ages. Tsk tsk."

Aiden's fists clenched. Rage exploded in his chest. He shot to his feet and swung his right fist with everything he had.

BANG!

A dull crack echoed through the tiny restroom. Nathan, standing to the side, gaped in shock. Aiden's fist had landed squarely on Caleb's cheek.

"You hit me? Who gave you the guts?!" Caleb roared. His right foot snapped out and slammed into Aiden's chest with crushing force, sending him flying again.

But this time, Aiden did not fold. He would not let Caleb lay a finger on Lucy. He swallowed the churning pain in his body and the taste of iron in his throat.

Blind with fury, he spotted a mop in the stall beside him. He seized it and swung it wildly. Even a brute like Caleb panicked and stumbled back.

A filth-soaked mop in the hands of a madman was like a war god reborn.

Aiden had lost all restraint, whipping the dripping mop through the air. Caleb grabbed Nathan and hauled him forward as a shield.

Filth splattered across the restroom. Aiden seized the moment and shoved the mop straight into Nathan's face. The stench hit like a hammer. Nathan forgot all about Caleb, spun away, and threw up.

"Damn it!" Caleb's face twisted in disgust. He lunged forward with a gust of wind, sailed past the retching Nathan, and appeared in front of Aiden in a blink.

Now Caleb was truly enraged. This insect, this thing he had looked down on, dared to defy him? His right fist clenched, veins bulging, and it shot forward with a whistling shriek.

Aiden's pupils shrank. It was too fast. He had no time to react.

BANG!

The punch was heavy and merciless, a blow born of pure fury. It struck Aiden's chest, and he heard the faint sound of bone cracking.

The force flung him backward. His foot slipped, and the back of his head smashed against a urinal.

The smell of blood flooded the restroom. Aiden tried to rise, but his limbs would not obey. Warm liquid trickled down the back of his skull.

Dizziness crashed over him. His vision dimmed. Through the blur he saw Caleb and Nathan staring at him in horror, and then they turned and ran.

Is this... dying? he thought, his eyes growing glassy. He faintly heard someone calling his name. With his last strength, he cracked his eyes open.

A woman was carrying him, running. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, but tears streamed down it as she cried for help and begged him to hold on.

Soon after, Aiden's consciousness slipped into silence, and he lost his senses.

But deep within his core of energy lay a strange pale-yellow stone, about three inches wide, like a gallstone. At that moment it began to release wisps of milky-white mist. The mist spread swiftly through his whole body, speeding his metabolism several times over and forging fresh blood in torrents.

......

Aiden felt as though he had drifted through an endlessly long dream. In it, there were immortals and gods who could fly and vanish into the earth, a dazzling sea of stars, and a woman of breathtaking beauty who sighed over something he could not hear.

"Seraphina! Why did you betray me?!"

He roared and lunged upward. His old oak bed creaked as he shot upright.

Realizing it was only a dream, he let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve.

No.

That was no dream!

How could everything between him and Princess Seraphina have been a dream?

In that instant, memories flooded his mind. In a flash he remembered everything, his past life as a prodigy of the immortal realm who had cultivated for ten thousand years and reached staggering heights.

"The Mystery of the Womb... but how could it take so long?" Aiden rubbed his aching head. He knew of the Mystery of the Womb from his previous life.

Usually it lasted only a few years. But to be trapped in it for over twenty was a once-in-an-age occurrence.

"My child! My child, you're awake! Tom, come quick, our Aiden is awake!" A middle-aged woman burst into tears of joy and hugged him tightly, asking if he felt ill and whether he remembered who she was.

Looking at her, Aiden felt overwhelming warmth. Eleanor was his mother. In his past life he had never had parents. In this one, he had finally received the mother's love he had always yearned for.

BANG!

Thomas shoved the door open and rushed in, so excited that he knocked a splinter from the wooden frame. He stared at Aiden, at the clear light in his eyes, and finally let out a shaky breath of relief.

"Mom, Dad, don't worry. I'm fine. I'm just a little dizzy. Let me rest a bit longer," Aiden said gently. He needed time to gather himself.

Eleanor nodded quickly. "Rest well, sweetheart. I'll go make you a pot of chicken soup to build your strength." She took Thomas by the arm and pulled him out of the room.

Aiden watched them go. A light flickered in his eyes, and he murmured, "Caleb Ward, I really should thank you properly, if I ever get the chance. You gave me back my memories."

Just then he felt a faint warm current moving inside his body. He looked inward at once, and then smiled, having forgotten that he had lost all his cultivation.

But by his experience, that warm current was surely spiritual energy, and it was extremely pure. His first task was clear: find a cultivation method that suited him.